Norfolk Interlude

 My brother and David and I had booked a three night stay at Hunstanton in Norfolk with a view to seeing some decent birds. Unfortunately our arrival on the 25th coincided with a period of stormy westerlies and often rainy periods that lasted for most of our stay. Although the going was tough for most of the visit we did manage to eke out a few interesting birds though there were also long periods of uneventful tedium.

Avocets and Yellow-legged Gull.

The 25th was dreadful and on arrival we decided to dodge any birding activities and head for the pub instead. Things improved a little on the following day and we had a spell at Titchwell where a Wheatear and a Common Sandpiper were seen near the beach. Any thoughts that we harboured about doing a spell of seawatching were abandoned as the winds were driving sand into our faces. On the marsh we found a couple of Mediterranean Gulls as well as a Little and Yellow-legged Gull. Moving on to Holme we narrowly missed seeing a Grey Phalarope which had the bad grace to fly off as we were approaching. While searching for the phalarope on a nearby pool we were treated to a flying visit by a juvenile Arctic Tern. At least the sea provided a Sooty Shearwater as some additional compensation as well as Common Scoters and Gannets. My brother had a brief view of a Yellow-browed Warbler, although I saw a hint of movement I couldn't get on the bird.

Stormy Sheringham and Red-breasted Flycatcher.

Sunday (the 27th) saw us heading along the coast to Sheringham where we did a bit of seawatching. Highlight was a trio of Sooty Shearwaters and a Velvet Scoter and there was another sighting of Little Gull. An Arctic Skua was our only skua seen during the trip and we also saw a small number of Red-throated Divers passing by. Plenty of Gannets were on the move while passing wildfowl included Brent Geese and Common Scoters. After this we visited Wells Woods where we finally managed to find some shelter from the wind. Birding was snoozeworthy to begin with and very little was seen. A few Redpolls and Siskins flew over our heads but we struggled to find anything else. Luckily on the way back towards the car we received news that the reported Red-breasted Flycatcher was still present. Minutes later and we were watching it from fairly close distance and although always obscured I did get a record shot.

Purple Sandpipers and Bearded Tit.

Our final morning at Titchwell turned out to be excellent as the wind had dropped which in turn seemed to bring out the birds. Bearded Tits were pinging and showing on either side of the path and we had good views. David picked out a Spoonbill and then a Short-eared Owl as we made our way towards the beach. Mercifully the conditions at the beach were far better than on our previous visit and we didn't take long to find a couple of Purple Sandpipers feeding with other waders on the exposed rocks. These were soon overshadowed by the discovery of a flock of seven Grey Phalaropes feeding in the surf, needless to say the dip at Holme was now forgotten! With David having to get back for an afternoon shift we couldn't hang around too long though we still managed to see a juvenile Red-backed Shrike on the way back to the car. Safe to say that this late rush of good species put an altogether better spin on the trip!

Autumn Returns

 Distinctly cooler this morning when I ventured out for a relatively short stroll around the area near to the sewage treatment works. Although there were some pleasant periods of sunshine the wind was fairly cool. Nothing too exciting to report though I did enjoy some good views of common species.

Long-tailed and Blue Tits.

Highlight was a couple of Ravens passing overhead and betrayed as usual by their distinctive calls. Several Grey Wagtails also passed over and these are likely to have been resident birds rather than migrants, a Skylark and several Meadow Pipits on the other hand were almost certainly passing through. At least two Blackcaps were noted feeding on dogwood berries and a few Chiffchaffs were also still present, while both species winter in small numbers these were probably soon to depart migrants. The passerines attracted a Sparrowhawk and there was also a Buzzard.

Male and female Blackcaps.

Cooler conditions meant fewer insects and only a couple of Small Whites and a Comma represented the butterflies. Dragonflies fared even worse as only a single Migrant hawker was noted.

Comma.

Snappychats

 Whilst I was out and about in the Oundle area yesterday local nature spotter Alan Shorrock found a couple of Stonechats and a Whinchat at Willowbrook Industrial Estate, Corby during his lunch break. Although avowed trencherman Alan's lunchtime repast was probably cut short by this cracking discovery I'm sure that a few hurried mouthfuls of pork pie or scotch egg tasted all the better after seeing this handsome trio of chats. Hopeful that I might be able to see them myself this morning I headed out this morning though I took the precaution of having breakfast beforehand, I didn't want my meal interrupted!

Here be chats, and some chats.

Luckily for me all three were still there and I had some great views even if they were a little distant at times. As this is the spot favoured by the last winter's pair of Stonechats it's claerly going to be worth checking in the future.. The Whinchat was my sixth species of chat in the Corby area this year which I think may be the most that I've managed to see in any one year. Other birds today included several Redpolls passing over and a Kingfisher at the Woodland Park in Weldon.

Whinchat (top) and Stonechat.

Not many butterflies were seen today and most of them were Small Whites. The only other species breaking this monopoly was a Small Heath seen at the industrial estate. Weldon provided a good selection of dragons and damsels and I managed to see eight species, not bad for this late in the season. Singles of Banded Demoiselle and Small Red-eyed Damselflies were good late records, the three Willow Emeralds were more typical of the date. Plenty of Migrant Hawkers were also present and there were two Southern and one Brown Hawker seen too. Rounding off the list were Common and Ruddy Darters. With the Indian Summer predicted to end tomorrow it's likely to be some time before I see eight species in a day again!

Brown and Southern Hawkers.

Not a great deal of other wildlife was observed today though a Common Lizard at Weldon was a very welcome surprise, I haven't seen one here before.

Banded Demoiselle and Willow Emeralds.

Still Sunny

I was away looking at helicopters with my brother yesterday so had no time for any nature spotting. Today was a different matter however and I popped over to Barnwell CP where I enjoyed the continuing good weather. I also took a stroll around the Princess Lake near to the marina before returning to the park for another look.

Barnwell CP and a Great Lakes training aeroplane.

Not too many birds to report, I had a few sightings of a Kingfisher though I heard it more than I saw it. At least one Redpoll was also noted and several Siskins passed over. Few butterflies were on the wing today with a few whites and Speckled Woods being joined by a single male Common Blue.

Speckled Wood.

Dragons and damsels responded to the sunshine and a good number of Small Red- eyed Damselflies were active with most at Mill Lake. They remained out in the middle for the most part and I only managed one record shot. Mill Lake also held a small number of Willow Emeralds and they included at least one pair. For the first time I also found them on North Lake where at least three males were noted. A similar quantity of males were also seen at Princess Lake. I've now seen this attractive species at six sites this year. 

Female and male Willow Emeralds.

Amongst the dragons it was perhaps no surprise that Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers were the most numerous as both are late season regulars. At least one Ruddy Darter and a male Southern Hawker were also noted.

Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers.

Autumn Still On Hold

 Yet more lovely weather with hardly a cloud to be seen and the offer of a lift to Deene decided my day's doings for me. From Deene I walked back passing Deenethorpe and Weldon on the way. On the main lake at Deene the Black Swan once again has a companion and the two were staying fairly close to each other. Wildfowl numbers are slowly beginning to build with Gadwalls in particular becoming common. At the weir a Common Sandpiper was briefly noted before it flew off down the stream. Several Grey wagtails were also flitting around the weir and were probably resident birds. Just Siskins and Meadow Pipits moving through today though a flock of eighteen Cormorants may well have been migrants.

Black Swan and Little Egret, Grey Wagtail and Gadwalls.

At the inflow I found four Green Sandpipers and a few Lapwings, I think that some nearby work on the estate was keeping everything else away. I should mention that the Wheelie Bin Triangle is no more as the collection of bins, the tractor, the old telly and other assorted rubbish appears to have been cleaned up. It makes for a more attractive scene but a part of me is going to miss it. Nearby Deenethorpe and the airfield held very little wildlife and my walk across the fields was equally dull.

Green Sandpiper and Small Red-eyed Damselflies.

Weldon was a tad more interesting and I found at least four Banded Demoiselles alongside the stream. At the nearby pond there were still a few Small Red-eyed Damselflies active over the water while three species of hawker and Common Darters were also flying around. For the third day in a row I managed to see some Willow Emeralds, it seems as if September is their peak month for activity. Six ovipositing pairs and three single males were noted confirming this as another breeding species for the site.

Banded Demoiselle and Willow Emeralds.

Other insects on view included a few Red Admirals nectaring on Ivy though they were constantly being disturbed by a veritable swarm of buzzing insects. Commonest were Ivy Bees which are apparently a relatively new arrival to the UK, there were also other bees, wasps and hoverflies attracted to the flowers. Hoping to take advantage of this potential buffet were a couple of Hornets, I often see them menacing the other insects around Ivy at this time of the year.

Red Admiral and Ivy Bee.

Willows Galore

 Another lovely day with plenty of sunshine saw me heading along to Priors Hall by way of Willowbrook Industrial Estate. This first site did not provide too much in the way of interesting wildlife other than a few Common Blue butterflies.

Common Blue and Common Darters

Priors Hall was a little on the quiet side too though I did see a reasonable selection of dragons and damsels. Commonest dragons were Ruddy and Common Darters though Migrant Hawkers were present in good numbers as well. Singles of both Southern and Brown Hawker were also noted though the latter gave only brief views. A couple of Common Blue damsels and a male Small Red-eyed  put in an appearance though they were far outnumbered by Willow Emeralds.

Southern Hawker and Ruddy Darter

I enjoyed my best ever day for this late season species with sightings from many of the ponds. At least twelve pairs were noted ovipositing including four on one small Alder. Plenty of singles were seen too with all being males, I'm guessing the females were either hunting elsewhere or paired up. Hard to believe that there were no records at all in this county before 2016.

Willow Emeralds

Small numbers of Siskins continue to pass through and also a trickle of Meadow Pipits while the quarry again held some Yellow-legged Gulls, about ten on this occasion. The only other wildlife of any sort of interest was a small herd of Fallow Deer at Willowbrook.

Small Red-eyed damselfly and Boeing Stearman Kaydet.

Indian Summer

 A day off today and I was lucky that it coincided with a spell of beautiful sunny weather. As I didn't want to venture too far today I only walked as far as the flooded quarry near the Gretton Road taking in Willowbrook Industrial Estate and Brookfield Plantation on the way. Although nothing out of the ordinary was noted it was still a good day, not least perhaps because I might otherwise have been working!

Migrant and Southern Hawkers

At Willowbrook a Sedge Warbler was presumably a passage migrant and while it never stayed still enough for a photo I did get some decent views. It was still a little cloudy at this time though I still found a female Migrant Hawker roosting as well as several darters and a few Small Heaths. Walking on to Brookfield and with increasing amounts of sunshine I had both Meadow Pipits and a Grey Wagtail pass over. Not too much bird life visible in the wood  though it sounded as if someone was shooting in another part of the plantation. A Southern Hawker was the best ode while butterflies were represented by Speckled Woods, a Comma, a Peacock and the three species of common whites.

Butterfly selection

On leaving the wood I walked across the large field and followed the hedgeline next to the flooded quarry. Plenty of darters, both Ruddy and Common, were sunning themselves and a few more Migrant Hawkers were seen. Highlight though were the four Willow Emeralds that were seen along the hedge. Two females and a male posed very nicely even if the fourth disappeared way too quick for me to tell. Willow Emeralds may no longer be the headline grabbers that they were a couple of years ago but it's still nice to find new sites for them. Small groups of Siskins were beginning to pass over and a Raven croaked loudly as it passed by. Nothing much else of interest was seen other than a Peregrine at one of their regular sites.

Male and female Willow Emeralds.